20 Facts You Didn't Know About Biggie Smalls

posted by iHeartRadio Editorial Staff -

1. Biggie Smalls was anything but small. He was 6'3" and 400 pounds.

2. Before ruling the streets, Biggie was a good student, earning A's.

3. Biggie, Jay-Z, and Busta Rhymes all attended the same high school in downtown Brooklyn: Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School.

4. Biggie's first recording deal was in 1993, with Uptown Records.

5. Biggie had two kids, a boy and a girl. The first child was his daughter, with his girlfriend "Jan." He had his son (pictured) with his wife, Faith Evans.

6. Biggie's first DJ was from his old Brooklyn neighborhood, "50 Grand".

7. Biggie's debut album was called Ready To Die.

8. In 1995, Biggie debuted in the top five of the pop singles chart with is single "One More Chance."

9. Biggie appeared an "New York Undercover" where he played himself on a talk show along side M.C. Lyte and Sticky Fingaz.

10. B.I.G. stands for Books Instead of Guns, named by his foundation since his death. The foundation was formed in memory of the rapper and helps bring in books and computers for impoverished schools in New York and Atlanta.

11. Biggie had a clothing line called "Brooklyn Mint."

12. Biggie's real name is Christopher Wallace.

13. Biggie's second album Life After Death sold more than 10 million copies, giving it a Diamond status.

14. Biggie had plans to open up a food chain called, what else, "Big Poppa's."

15. During the Biggie/Tupac beef, Biggie made a track called "Who Shot Ya?" The track was thought by many to be in response to the many diss tracks that Tupac put out.

16. Biggie referred to himself as "Frank White" due to the movie King of New York after Christopher Walken's character.

17. The alias "Biggie Smalls" comes from the 1975 movie Let's Do It Again starring Sidney Porter and Bill Cosby. A character in the movie played by Calvin Lockhart, was "Biggie Smalls," and was the leader of a group of gangsters.

18. Biggie was arrested 3 years in a row, in 1989, 1990, and 1991. He spent nine months in a North Carolina prison for drug dealing.

19. Biggie suffered a broken leg after a car crash that occurred during the time he was recording his second album Life After Death. This is the injury that forced him to use a cane.

20. Many hip hop artists still reference Biggie in some way in their music today. Whether his lyrics have been sampled or quoted, Biggie is remembered by tracks from Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Nas, Fat Joe, Nelly, Pharrell Williams, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Big Pun, and more.